How did you feel after leaving your religion and becoming atheist? - Atheist Nexus2017-08-18T04:53:20Zhttp://atheistnexus.org/forum/topics/how-did-you-feel-after-leaving-your-religion-and-becoming-atheist?commentId=2182797%3AComment%3A2047110&feed=yes&xn_auth=no Jaber, ironically as an athe…tag:atheistnexus.org,2017-05-20:2182797:Comment:27495122017-05-20T15:23:28.387ZCompelledunbelieverhttp://atheistnexus.org/profile/Compelledunbeliever
<p> Jaber, ironically as an atheist for the first time in my life I have what religion promised. Peace. I have never been more happy or comfortable in my skin. I can now see clearly what is right and wrong. I never worry about offending some unseen God by doing what is natural, or by committing some thought crime, or committing some offense that I am not aware of. Yes peace.</p>
<p> Jaber, ironically as an atheist for the first time in my life I have what religion promised. Peace. I have never been more happy or comfortable in my skin. I can now see clearly what is right and wrong. I never worry about offending some unseen God by doing what is natural, or by committing some thought crime, or committing some offense that I am not aware of. Yes peace.</p> Relieved and free. No more st…tag:atheistnexus.org,2017-03-29:2182797:Comment:27431672017-03-29T01:07:47.591Zkathy: kyhttp://atheistnexus.org/profile/khughes
Relieved and free. No more stressing over the sky daddy's judging my every thought. It's a sin to question in the fundie faith. Pretty much nothing there but all the ways you can go to hell. Lol. It's funny now. Then it was terrifying.<br />
I doubted the whole story from the time I started hearing it as a child. The doubts never left me and the blind faith never kicked in.<br />
Open atheist for twenty some years now.
Relieved and free. No more stressing over the sky daddy's judging my every thought. It's a sin to question in the fundie faith. Pretty much nothing there but all the ways you can go to hell. Lol. It's funny now. Then it was terrifying.<br />
I doubted the whole story from the time I started hearing it as a child. The doubts never left me and the blind faith never kicked in.<br />
Open atheist for twenty some years now. Incredibly free for the first…tag:atheistnexus.org,2017-03-28:2182797:Comment:27433332017-03-28T22:54:00.320Zeric stonehttp://atheistnexus.org/profile/lunamaubneits
<p>Incredibly free for the first time in my life. It was from Judaism which I found very oppressive. I also self published a little book about it on createspace and suggest everyone do the same. Very therapeutic!!!</p>
<p>Eric Stone</p>
<p>Incredibly free for the first time in my life. It was from Judaism which I found very oppressive. I also self published a little book about it on createspace and suggest everyone do the same. Very therapeutic!!!</p>
<p>Eric Stone</p> Thank you for telling us, Ben…tag:atheistnexus.org,2017-02-26:2182797:Comment:27379292017-02-26T19:49:56.001ZDr. Terence Meadenhttp://atheistnexus.org/profile/DrTerenceMeaden
<p>Thank you for telling us, BenGee and Michael and everyone. We, too, feel really happy for you. You are now more truly in the world of the free---the freethinking mind. </p>
<p>Thank you for telling us, BenGee and Michael and everyone. We, too, feel really happy for you. You are now more truly in the world of the free---the freethinking mind. </p> I felt liberated. In scriptur…tag:atheistnexus.org,2017-02-26:2182797:Comment:27377892017-02-26T16:06:42.940ZMichael Pennhttp://atheistnexus.org/profile/DennisMichaelPennington
<p>I felt liberated. In scripture Paul claims he had the scales fall off his eyes at conversion. This is exactly how I felt when I realized that I am atheist. What I had believed before was a lie.</p>
<p>I felt liberated. In scripture Paul claims he had the scales fall off his eyes at conversion. This is exactly how I felt when I realized that I am atheist. What I had believed before was a lie.</p> Well I de-converted the same…tag:atheistnexus.org,2017-02-23:2182797:Comment:27372052017-02-23T21:01:11.311ZBenGeehttp://atheistnexus.org/profile/JesseBGardner
<p>Well I de-converted the same day I was "saved" and I didn't know Atheists existed, I was kept in a bubble my whole life so.... I felt alone.</p>
<p></p>
<p>I'm really happy you feel liberated and free, it sounds like you feel really happy. Being free from unreasonable undeserved guilt is also a fantastic thing. I'm very happy for you Jaber Al Khayam</p>
<p>Well I de-converted the same day I was "saved" and I didn't know Atheists existed, I was kept in a bubble my whole life so.... I felt alone.</p>
<p></p>
<p>I'm really happy you feel liberated and free, it sounds like you feel really happy. Being free from unreasonable undeserved guilt is also a fantastic thing. I'm very happy for you Jaber Al Khayam</p> Hi Loren,
Thanks for writing.…tag:atheistnexus.org,2017-02-23:2182797:Comment:27372872017-02-23T16:57:48.153ZDr. Terence Meadenhttp://atheistnexus.org/profile/DrTerenceMeaden
<p>Hi Loren,</p>
<p>Thanks for writing. Yes do send me whatever quotations you can. My book of quotations got refused that first time, so I shall try again. Glad you wrote. The reason I have been quiet on Atheist Nexus is that a few months ago the CLICK BOX called MEMBERS in the headline banner simply went missing, so I cannot access the 'new members' pages. I asked Brother Richard but he could not help, and said the problem lies with my computer. But I can find no way to put this right. Can…</p>
<p>Hi Loren,</p>
<p>Thanks for writing. Yes do send me whatever quotations you can. My book of quotations got refused that first time, so I shall try again. Glad you wrote. The reason I have been quiet on Atheist Nexus is that a few months ago the CLICK BOX called MEMBERS in the headline banner simply went missing, so I cannot access the 'new members' pages. I asked Brother Richard but he could not help, and said the problem lies with my computer. But I can find no way to put this right. Can anyone advise me? Here is my email address: terencemeaden01@gmail.com Do write. I can send you my quotations book to see if you wish. Terence. </p> "...the opportunity cost...."…tag:atheistnexus.org,2012-11-01:2182797:Comment:20910182012-11-01T01:58:17.890Ztom sarbeckhttp://atheistnexus.org/profile/TomSarbeck
<p>"...the opportunity cost...."</p>
<p>Thank you, TCS, for the reminder. I wasted much time and energy trying to comply with Catholicism. My healing required me to see that the time and energy Catholicism demanded had been doing something constructive for Catholicism: making me easier to control.</p>
<p>BTW, I minored in economics and your using the term 'opportunity cost' moved me to look for its first use. In Wikipedia I found this: The term was coined in 1914 by…</p>
<p>"...the opportunity cost...."</p>
<p>Thank you, TCS, for the reminder. I wasted much time and energy trying to comply with Catholicism. My healing required me to see that the time and energy Catholicism demanded had been doing something constructive for Catholicism: making me easier to control.</p>
<p>BTW, I minored in economics and your using the term 'opportunity cost' moved me to look for its first use. In Wikipedia I found this: The term was coined in 1914 by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich_von_Wieser" title="Friedrich von Wieser">Friedrich von Wieser</a> in his book "<span lang="de" xml:lang="de">Theorie der gesellschaftlichen Wirtschaft.</span>" My mother spoke German but she didn't pass her knowledge to her kids.</p>
<p></p> I felt about the same as you…tag:atheistnexus.org,2012-11-01:2182797:Comment:20910112012-11-01T00:52:07.166ZMichael Piankohttp://atheistnexus.org/profile/mierko
I felt about the same as you did, free from all the guilt of not doing the religion and free to do activities or work in the time I would have had to go to religious services. I'm a lapsed Jew and my parents sent me to religious classes at their synagogue and the classes taught a higher level of Judaism than what my parents did so a vacillated between feeling guilty for not doing orthodox Judaism and just going along with what my family did or didn't do and in college I had to go to Hillel (a…
I felt about the same as you did, free from all the guilt of not doing the religion and free to do activities or work in the time I would have had to go to religious services. I'm a lapsed Jew and my parents sent me to religious classes at their synagogue and the classes taught a higher level of Judaism than what my parents did so a vacillated between feeling guilty for not doing orthodox Judaism and just going along with what my family did or didn't do and in college I had to go to Hillel (a Jewish college organization) and Chabad (a sect of Hasidic Judaism) often and to weekday afternoon/evening services in addition to 2-3 hour long Saturday morning service and the Saturday afternoon/evening service, all in order to avoid feeling guilty for not doing it, so I would feel that I was doing my sacred duty to keep the Jewish traditions. I came out as an atheist in October 2009 but was still afraid to talk to non-Jewish girls or go to non-Jewish event until August 2010.<br />
<br />
Now I am well familiar with what is wrong with religion and I say Judaism and probably religion in general also, is a system of bizarre, inherited, maladaptive, abusive, time-wasting, obsessive-compulsive behaviors and beliefs, a mental disorder people inherit and sometimes modify a little and have to do and pass on to other people in order to avoid feeling guilty for not doing it. I think I was sad, really. Th…tag:atheistnexus.org,2012-10-31:2182797:Comment:20907882012-10-31T19:13:08.857ZTwo Cult Survivorhttp://atheistnexus.org/profile/TwoCultSurvivor
<p>I think I was sad, really. Then angry, not only at myself, but at those whose critical thinking skills I respected, leading me to conclude that I was wrong about them or that I was right and they have to know they're peddling nonsense. I was shunned by my faith for divorcing my first wife (we had no kids; it was no one's flipping business but our own). I had people telling me my second marriage was adultery by Christ's definition (who asked him?).</p>
<p></p>
<p>But I was sad to realize that…</p>
<p>I think I was sad, really. Then angry, not only at myself, but at those whose critical thinking skills I respected, leading me to conclude that I was wrong about them or that I was right and they have to know they're peddling nonsense. I was shunned by my faith for divorcing my first wife (we had no kids; it was no one's flipping business but our own). I had people telling me my second marriage was adultery by Christ's definition (who asked him?).</p>
<p></p>
<p>But I was sad to realize that I had wasted so much time studying and devoting myself to the understanding of a conflicting mess of fairy tales served up as holy truth. All the time I spent trying to figure out if Noah's Flood was true or false, worldwide or regional, could have been spent training a telescope to the sky or really getting a firm grasp of the truly awe-inspiring process of evolution by natural selection.</p>
<p></p>
<p>The worst thing about believing a fiction is the opportunity cost: you waste time doing something useless that could have been spent more wisely doing something constructive.</p>